Last night was the first meeting of a new class at church - Conversations with the Women in my Head. The lady teaching it is a phenomenal teacher and speaker. She is very open, honest, and transparent about her life which helps to encourage other people to share what is going on. I’ve taken her classes for several years and was among the first to sign up for this one.
So, knowing that there are people in there who would put her on a pedestal because she’s up there teaching, she offered up this story to knock herself off of it before they had a chance. “Before you hold me up there, just remember that last week… I was almost a convicted felon.”
Huh? Wha? How did that happen, D? And knowing her, this is going to be on HOOT of a story. So the short version is that a couple of weeks ago, she was pulled over in Spring Hill for busted tail lights and expired tags. When they ran her license, it has been suspended over a ticket in 2004 which they said she hadn’t paid and they were going to arrest her and impound her 1992 red Chevy mini-van.
After dragging 2 more officers into the situation, putting her in the back of the police car with blaring lights in front of half the town of
And then she had to go through a nightmare process to get her license reinstated at the DMV.
And then she had to go back to Spring Hill to answer these charges. She said a magistrate stepped in her on behalf and spoke to the judge and they dropped all the charges save for some court costs.
D explained what the voices in her head were telling her – I hate my husband (she admits this was completely irrational and she does love him very much). I hate my car. How can you be so stupid? They were constantly beating her down until the magistrate stepped in.
She made the comparison that this magistrate was like Jesus stepping in and acting as a mediator, an advocate on our behalf to God.
What were the voices telling me?
“Yeah BUT Jesus didn’t create the situation that caused his execution. He ISN’T part of the problem! He is the solution! Faulty comparison, D. This is why I hate the government. Granted Spring Hill isn’t a hotbed for criminal activity but surely it didn’t take 3 officers to arrest a not hysterical woman. They aren’t protecting and serving. They are the lowest form of tax collectors. Can you tell me what possible harm her expired tags were causing society? None! A notice about the break lights I could possibly understand. Maybe. And all of this was compounded because 3 years ago, some state employee didn’t enter her payment correctly and they automatically suspended her license – without notifying her! I hate the government. NOW do you really understand why I am libertarian?!”
In talking with some women after class about it, I went through a not so full-of-anger version of this and when I got to the libertarian part, I think I scared them.
